PCCA Journal 2nd Quarter 2014 - page 54

PCCA Journal|2
nd
Quarter 2014
54
I
’ve been around this business
long enough to know that all
of us, contractors and suppli-
ers, are very busy, especially
this time of year. There never
seems to be enough hours in the day.
So when somebody calls and starts the
conversation with, “Hey Steve, we’re
having this meeting in Washington next
month,” I immediately start thinking
about everything on my schedule and
all the various demands on my time. But
then I start thinking about the commit-
ment I’ve made to PCCA and about all
the PCCA leaders before me who figured
out ways to make the time to ensure that
our voices are heard when it mattered.
So then I call Tim and tell him I’ll book
the flight.
That’s pretty much how I found my-
self in our nation’s capital twice in April,
and both times I was proud to represent
the association and encouraged (mostly)
with our meetings and discussions.
On April 29, a PCCA delegation met
with Wage and Hour Division staff
members at the Department of Labor
offices to discuss our efforts to have the
work our people do recognized in the
agency’s wage classifications. Right off,
I want thank our guys for working this
meeting into their busy schedules: Jim
Dillahunty, Henkels & McCoy; Jerrod
Henschel, Michels; and Todd Myers,
Kenneth G. Myers Construction. Rep-
resenting DOL at the meeting were Bea
Gaither, Acting Director of the Division
of Wage Determinations; Ken Reins-
huttle, Section Chief of the Branch of
Construction Wage Determinations; and
Timothy Holmes, Senior Analyst in the
construction branch.
Because we were meeting with dif-
ferent people than at our previous DOL
visits, we explained our history with the
issue, our effort to participate in wage
determination surveys, and our concern
that there have been so few Heavy con-
struction surveys, just one in a last year.
(To learn more about our efforts, check
out the 3rd Quarter 2013
PCCA Journal
,
page 54, at
)
The DOL folks explained how their
wage determination and conformance
processes work and said that they expect
to conduct surveys in ten states this year,
though didn’t know how many would
include Heavy construction, a catch-all
category that includes the work we do.
Getting our classifications included is
“going to take time and patience,” Rein-
shuttle said. They said that results from
the Kansas survey that PCCA partici-
pated in last year most likely won’t be
published until some time next year.
We weren’t thrilled with everything
we heard, but the DOL people were very
candid and seemed eager to help us nav-
igate the process, both as an association
and individually. If contractors have an
issue with a bid or with a conformance,
they can contact Ken Reinshuttle directly
at (202) 693-1016 or reinshuttle.ken@
dol.gov. “All we’re doing is trying to get
it right,” he said. “We’re willing to talk
with you and meet with you any time.”
On April 9, Tim Wagner, Mike Ancell,
and I attended an event on broadband
adoption sponsored by NTCA—The
Rural Broadband Association. The con-
versation was less about broadband con-
struction and more about getting people
to take advantage of the broadband that
they already have, but we did hear a lot
about the many benefits that broadband
provides. FCC Special Counsel Gigi
Sohn discussed her agency’s efforts to
help people better understand and use
broadband, and NTCA economist Rick
Schadelbauer discussed his whitepaper,
“Conquering the Challenges of Broad-
band Adoption.” The talks were interest-
ing, and it was good that we supported
our friends at NTCA by attending.
We will be discussing wage determina-
tions, broadband issues, and more at our
upcoming Mid-Year Meeting, July 23-26
at Camden on the Lake, Lake Ozark, Mo.
Everyone is welcome at the Labor Issues
Committee meeting on Friday, July 25,
where we will discuss all of these issues
in detail, so please join us.
See you at the Lake!
FINALWORD
Steve Sellenriek, Sellenriek Construction
PCCA President
PCCA Stays Engaged
By Steve Sellenriek
1...,44,45,46,47,48,49,50,51,52,53 55,56
Powered by FlippingBook